For two long years, the Kildonan East football program waited patiently to return to the gridiron. The 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID, and last year veteran head coach Jason Hawkins opted to go the developmental route.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but Hawkins and his coaching staff felt that it was the right one. It gave the program the opportunity to “bring players along” and not rush their progression as athletes.

Winters and summers were spent on speed and endurance, while the emphasis during the fall of 2022 was on the fundamentals. Led by a core of 15 seniors who hadn’t played in a league game since their freshman seasons, the Reivers ran the table, going 9-0 while out-scoring their opponents 319-51.

Hawkins’ emphasis on conditioning paid off big time once the season began. A great example came against Fort Frances in week five, where the team rallied from 3-0 down at halftime to beat the Muskies 34-3.

In the championship against Dryden, Kildonan East did it again, grinding down their opponent in the second half.

Two botched punts set the Reivers up with short fields and two quick scores in the first half, and in the second half they went to senior Gavin Buckmaster early and often.

The seven-year veteran of the sport, who “always works and doesn’t give up,” embodying the mantra of the entire team, took countless handoffs from the wildcat formation, recording well over 100 yards in the final 20 minutes of play.

A jack of all trades, he was used on special teams all season, and was also the team’s quarterback for a while after an injury to Colm Balez.

Buckmaster’s five-yard major late in the third quarter made the score 21-0, and while the Eagles pushed back with a strong run game and stout defence, it wasn’t enough to top the Reivers in a 30-0 final.

The championship was the school’s first since 2016, with Buckmaster being named the Offensive MVP.

“I’m so proud of them. I said to them, they stuck with me and believed in what we were doing,” Hawkins said.

“We didn’t have a team for two years with COVID. Last September we just worked at it, two practices a week and developed. Winter training, speed training all summer. They didn’t doubt me. They listened to what we were doing and it worked. Speed kills, we did a good job this season.”

Speed and athleticism were certainly the calling cards for the Reivers on offence and special teams.

Senior Tyson Egan had numerous return touchdowns on the year, while fellow senior and Offensive Player of the Year nominee Jesse Andrews used his wheels to out-run the opposition, and set the tone in the championship with a few long runs early.

On defence, there was no question who the heart and soul was.

“Darius Totin, he’s like my coach on the field. Everyone hears me yelling Darius, Darius, we’re on the same page,” laughed Hawkins.

The grade 11 linebacker’s IQ for the game was evident every week, where he consistently called out the opposition’s formations. In the championship, he had four of the game’s first five stops, and was named Defensive Player of the Year at the end of the season after countless contests with double-digit tackles.

Helping anchor the front seven were powerful defensive tackles Jordan Ross and Cody Vanderveer. The pair of first-years were in the backfield all night long for a Kildonan East team that got four sacks in the championship, and will be key pieces for a roster that returns 13 seniors.

“[Vanderveer], I picked him up. He tried out for basketball, he was like a dog on a bone going after the ball all the time. I’m like football would be a nice transfer over for you. He was awesome,” recalled Hawkins.

“Jordan Ross, he’s a great kid with big size. He really came along the last month. I’m so proud of him too, because football has really helped his academics too, and he’s buying in and learning what football is all about. Championships are nice, but it’s about the process. This is just a good group of young men. Everybody on the team is respectful, they do what we ask them to do, and it’s just a pleasure. They’re people that I enjoy spending time with.”